… Benefactor lays hand of blessing on new philanthropist
Some five years ago, the Rivers State University (RSU) introduced ‘no-fee-no-exam’ policy which caused huge uproar and protests by indigent students who were not allowed to write their examinations.
At the height of the crisis, a prominent Kalabari high chief of Opuda ranking, Dumo Lulu-Briggs, who is a chief executive officer of many top companies and an oil magnet, paid off the fees and peace returned.
One of the young men who benefitted from that rescue is one Cyrus Onu, who has become a lawyer right now, and has gone ahead to launch a scheme that has already rescued over 100 persons from wrongful detention and impronment. He seems to have put his wig to action right away.
Onu now goes from detention facility to prison yards (correctional centres) around the Niger Delta to visit inmates and seek to help those that have flimsy cases or no case at and file for their release. He seems to be succeeding.
One of the most notable cases was that of a man who seemed to forgo his life at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre. He had no more casefile let alone record of his offence.
Most warders would only recall how they resumed job there and met him. The detainee could only remember one of his names and that of a kindred in Ogoni. Onu and his team fanned out and tracked the community.
Ost persons seemed to forget him. They remembered, however, how a raid was carried out many years back in the areas and he was no longer seen after that. The relations went to all police statios in the four LGAs in Ogoni without any trace of their young relation. They checked all the morgues, yet no trace.
They eventually mourned him in the traditional way and buried or perished the thought.
Now, those still alive recalled his person and were surprised to eventually see him, all thanks to the non-governmental organization, Haven360 Foundation, established by Onu. They filed all the papers and the man was brought out and taken to his hometown. Efforts were made to resettle what is left of his life.
According to those close to Haven360 Foundation, many such cases abound and up to 1000 victims have been rescued from prisons and cells in the Niger Delta, an indication of the level of miscarriage of justice in Nigeria at the moment especially in the oil region where humanity seems to be subsumed beneath the collapse of good governance and rule of law.
On the 2025 world Youth Day, Haven360 foundation team went to pay homage to the man wh sparked the fire in the young lawyer by rescuing Onu. It was a case of saving someone to save others.
Onu used many links to trace his onetime benefactor, Dumo, as he is popularly known in the midst of many top men in the famous Lulu-Briggs royal family.
Dumo was onetime CEO of Moni Pulo Petroleum Development Company, now Chairman of Platform Petroleum Limited, and head of DLB Marine Limited as well as Bluewave’s Marine and Construction Company Limited.
Onu eventually met him with his team and introduced himself as: “One of your grateful followers and a direct beneficiary of your uncommon generosity.”
He explained to the oil magnet: “I was a 200-level Law student at Rivers State University, struggling deeply as an orphan when you graciously paid my school fees during a meeting you had at Autograph.
“That singular act of kindness changed the entire trajectory of my life. I was able to complete my university education, proceeded to the Nigerian Law School, and I am now a practicing lawyer. Your generosity ignited in me a deep commitment to service and inspired me to pay it forward.”
In light of this, he went on, “I founded Haven360 Foundation— an initiative dedicated to offering free legal representation to innocent persons unjustly incarcerated, as well as providing rehabilitation and resettlement support.
“Since last year (2025) September, the foundation has successfully assisted over 76 individuals, and we continue to grow in impact. I’ve been sending some updates via WhatsApp for months now, though I understand you may not have seen them because of how packed your schedule is.”
He said this effort began with Dumo. “You are the inspiration behind the vision, and as we approach our 100th success story, I wish to dedicate it to you and in your honour.
“It means the world to me as you have kindly granted me audience to personally express my gratitude and shed more light on our ongoing work and the lives being transformed because of your initial act of kindness. Thank you, Your Excellency, for being a beacon of hope. May God continue to bless and elevate you, sir.”
Responding, Dumo revealed how his past philanthropic adventures have overtaken him in multiple folds. He said: “Yesterday, a young man came to my home and reminded me of something I had completely forgotten, an act of kindness from years ago. He told me how, as a struggling 200-level law student and an orphan, I paid his school fees during a meeting at The Autograph. That was all I did, or so I thought.
“But to him, it was a turning point. Today he is Cyrus Onu, Esq., a practising lawyer, leading ‘Haven360 Foundation’, a growing initiative that offers free legal representation to innocent persons unjustly incarcerated.
“The foundation now has up to one 1000 volunteers across five states and his team has already helped over 76 persons regain freedom, with rehabilitation and resettlement support. And now, as they approach their 100th success story, he has dedicated it in my honour.”
He said he could not remember the incident where he helped the young lawyer which to him is a great point. “Philanthropy is not about keeping score; it is a lifestyle. But what truly inspires me is this: he did not stop at being a beneficiary. He chose to become a benefactor. He took one seed and planted an entire field.
“I have been named Patron of ‘Haven360 Foundation’, not because I oversee its daily operations, but because my example has inspired a spirit of selflessness, empowering others to become the change they once needed. It is a profoundly humbling honour, and to me, this is the very essence of true leadership.”
He urged young people to take this as their challenge: “No one will hand you the future. You must take it, not by force, but by making the right decisions today. You must decide to be the best of us, working for the rest of us. Do not let the pessimism of your intellect trump the optimism of your will.”
He went on: “Our world rewards those who create solutions. Remember, the whole exuberance of the American economy is built on three inventions, the microchip, the computer, and the Internet. Nations rise when the right minds are put to work.
“So, rise, build, innovate, and lead. And when success finds you, do not merely enjoy it; multiply it in the lives of others. Your background does not mean your back must remain on the ground.”
On the International Youth Day, he called on young persons to take responsibility for their future, to invent, to lead, and to give back. “Let your success lift others, for the world needs not just your labour, but your mind and your mercy. I believe in you. Now, believe in yourself.”
Now, Onu and his Haven360 Foundation members have found motivation to do more and more pillars behind the foundation. He does not seem to look back because he knew he was going to crash out of the university if a hand did not emerge from unknown quarters. So, has he convinced himself to become that unseen hand that would emerge from nowhere to rescue as many persons in distress as he can.
